Year of the Spark: January 30
by Sparky Army
Summary: “Because I know it’s you,” she stated. “I feel safe with you, only with you."


_We, the Sparky Army, decree 2008 to be the Year of the Spark. We pledge to post a new sparky story or chapter of a sparky story every day from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Though the Powers the Be have removed Elizabeth Weir from the regular cast of Stargate Atlantis, we feel that she remains an integral part of the show, and that the relationship between her and John Sheppard is too obvious to be ignored. We hope that you, and anyone might happen to read these works, agree. _  
_And if that isn't official enough for you, we don't know what is. Seriously, guys, we're just trying to have some fun--and show TPTB that Sparky is the way to go. So sit back and enjoy the 366 stories coming your way!_

Note from Author (Hannah554): This is a sequel to my January 4th and January 18th fics but it works as a stand alone too. It's the final part and I'm determined to stick to that lol, hope you all enjoy it!

**In Your Arms**

_By Hanna_h554

Laid in the dark John couldn't help but think about everything, about the rollercoaster his life and the lives of the people he cared about had become. The last year had seen Atlantis lose far too many important people, gain new faces and go through one minor or major crisis after another. Elizabeth though, was by far the biggest factor in all of it. Losing her had been hard on everyone in the city and it had made it somewhat hard to accept Sam as their new leader. Now she was back and everyone had to go through another major adjustment.

To her credit, Sam had been a God send. After Keller had confirmed that Elizabeth was not a threat to anyone, Sam had managed to convince the powers that be on earth to let Elizabeth stay in Atlantis. There'd been a lot of protest at first and at one point John had been really worried that Elizabeth would be forced back to earth. Both he and Sam had known that would do Elizabeth more harm than good and Sam had been unmovable on the subject. He was fairly sure that General O'Neill had been involved as well and he'd have to remember to properly thank them both later.

Being in Atlantis was helping her recovery but Elizabeth's progress was slow. She was struggling to readjust more than everyone around her. She'd kept herself isolated in her room since they'd brought her back a few weeks ago and had only recently begun venturing out. Sam had asked her to help with the translations of some artefacts one of the teams had brought back from off world. Elizabeth had been reluctant at first but had eventually agreed, she seemed to enjoy feeling useful again and John was just glad it got her out of her room for a few hours a day.

She still wasn't very sociable though, she did the work and then returned to her room and whenever someone tried to see her she would be quiet and withdrawn until they left. Ronon, Teyla, Rodney and Sam had all tried frequently to help bring their friend out of her self imposed isolation. The only person that could get more than a few sentences out of her was him.

It felt like he'd only just fallen asleep when he felt Elizabeth jolt slightly and it had the immediate effect of waking him up. Her back was still pressed against his chest and he tightened his arm around her waist instinctively. He knew she was awake even before she turned her face into his other arm which was laid out flat beneath her neck. He spent all of his nights like this now, with Elizabeth held protectively in his arms and at least one interruption to their sleep.

"Elizabeth," he whispered in the darkness but she didn't respond "Another nightmare?"

"Yeah," she replied so quietly that had he not been this close to her in the otherwise silent room he wouldn't have heard it. "They're not going away," she told him after another moment of quiet and he once again tightened his arm around her protectively.

"They will," he promised her and planted a lingering kiss on the back of her head. He both felt and heard her sigh.

"I hate being like this," she told him and John was slightly surprised by her voluntary reference to her current condition. So far she had refused to acknowledge it, the few times John had mentioned anything about it in the beginning she had shut down and he'd learnt not to push her on the issue. Now would be no exception, he simply moved his arm which was round her waist to take hold of her hand without moving it far from its current position, a silent gesture of support.

"I hate being afraid all the time, doubting everyone, I look at them and I see what the replicators made me think of them," she told him quietly and John pushed back the wave of anger that hit him, not for the first time. She'd never been specific about what the replicators did to her, only told them that they'd probed her mind everyday.

"What was that?" he asked her quietly, carefully.

"They made me think that they... hurt me. Not so much physically though they threw that in there too sometimes... but mentally and emotionally. They'd just... morph themselves into one of you and say things... that you weren't coming, that you were all better of without me, that I was weak... and other things," she told him, her voice a whisper at the end. "I knew it wasn't real, even when they did make me think it was physical and I would actually feel how much it hurt, I knew it wasn't real. But when you see something over and over, you start to wonder if maybe you're wrong and it is real."

John closed his eyes as he listened to her, her voice was sounded so distant, like she wasn't really there and he wondered if maybe that was why she was suddenly able to talk about it.

"Sometimes I wonder if this is real, maybe it's another trick, maybe they're still inside my head. It wouldn't be the first time they'd made me believe I'd been rescued," she told him and then fell silent for several moments before she shifted, turning herself around in his arms and he loosened his grip on her slightly so she could move.

It brought her face to face with him, her nose almost touching his and despite the far away sound to her voice, her face told him she was a hundred percent there. "I don't feel afraid right now," she told him quietly. "I don't feel any doubt."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because I know it's you," she stated. "I feel safe with you, only with you. I never felt that with any of the fake John's the replicators tried to fool me with. I could always tell they weren't real and they never got your eyes exactly right. All your feelings are in them, they couldn't fake that."

John remained quiet, allowing her words to sink in.

"Right here, in your arms, I feel protected," Elizabeth finished.

"That's because you are," John told her seriously, feeling more acutely aware of what his eyes were probably giving away. Elizabeth smiled slightly and John leaned into her. He kissed her softly, it was only a brief touch of lips but it could not have felt more perfect.

Neither of them said anything else, John brushed a stray hair out of Elizabeth face and then put his arm back around her. Elizabeth closed her eyes and John watched her for a moment before he closed his own. He waited until he was sure she'd fallen asleep again before he allowed himself to do the same.


End file.
